In Reykholt

It is hard to believe that we were in south of the Netherlands this morning.  It was about a 2 hour drive from Maastricht to Amsterdam. Schiphol was a bit of a zoo and we spent most of our time in lines. 

Our flight from Amsterdam to Reykjavik took about 3.5 hours and was uneventful.

A 2 hour drive from Keflavik Airport has led us to Reykholt and we are pretty tired.

At Schiphol Airport

Maatjesharing

You can read about how this herring dish is prepared here. We bought some in Maastricht and tried it out. Team Chapman food reviewers had very mixed opinions.

Top review was "it certainly needed the onions."

Bottom review was "I just dry heaved."

Flat Tire

So we had big plans for today that were slightly interrupted by a flat tire.  We drove down the laneway from our Airbnb and I noticed that the car was not handling as it should.  As soon as we pulled on to the pavement we pulled over and had a look - right front tire was totally flat.

We pulled up Google maps and searched for car repair (our spare was only good for low speeds) and a tire shop was showing up within 150 metres of our location. What incredible luck.

We called the car rental company to let them know what happened and then a very helpful woman at Rouwette Autobanden spoke at length as to what was required to replace the tire.  Within 30 minutes we were on our way again.  Incredible service.

Maastricht

Klimmen

We arrived in our second Airbnb this afternoon.  It is in a converted bakery that once served the manor house next door.  We went out for a walk while Laurel and Hardy jumped on the trampoline.

Between Two Countries

We are in Baarle Hertog for lunch then heading to Maastrich.

Klompen

A Day in Sneek

Sneek is about 6km from the house we are staying at in Wolsum. We decided to get some fresh air today and rent bikes and see the country side.

We then spent some time roaming around Sneek. Note the last picture.

Big Decision

Sam pondering whether he should run away with the circus in Wommels, Netherlands.

KNAG

Yesterday, Will visited with the Royal Dutch Geographical Society (Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap - KNAG) in Utrecht.

Utrecht

Skydiver

I have to hand it to the boys. I though that a couple of rides on the massive roller coasters at Walibi would have done them in.

Not so. They spent six hours at the park yesterday and did every thrill seeking ride which included riding the Goliath coaster four times

They also did the Skydiver which had them harnessed together like little burritos, pulled up to a 55 metre tall crane and then released so that they swing by at 120 km/hr

Pannenkoeken

For dinner yesterday we ate Pannenkoeken in Harlingen.

Chicken Butler

Alt Walibi

While the boys were enjoying Walibi roller-coasters, I looked around Harderwijk and did some sketching.

As early as the 1200s, Harderwijk was a busy North Sea port but it's one of the many towns that were cut off from the ocean in 1932 with the creation of a massive dike to deal with the risk of flooding in the country.

The watercolour sketch is of the Linnaeus tower. 

Two Things That are Sweet and Nutty

There is this one and then there is our 11 year old. Both are messy and inappropriate at breakfast.

Walibi!

A Blog Post for Simon

Simon, did you ever have one of those days where you had busy day and you were trying to decide whether you should do something else in the evening? Well, that was a decision we needed to make earlier this evening.

So before we came to the Netherlands, we heard about bonfires they light on Easter Sunday.  They have been doing this in northern Europe for hundreds of years.  Anyway, we walked a lot today and were pretty tired, so we took a vote in the car to see who wanted to go to a local bonfire.  It was a close vote, and we decided to rest for 30 minutes and then head to the bonfire.

We drove down some country roads for about 20 minutes and when we saw some cars parked at the side of the road we parked and started to walk.

And then we saw it. Simon, it was massive.  A huge pile of trees and branches. Like picture your house and multiply it by five, it was that big.  About a hundred people were there and we stood around for a few minutes, and turned our heads to the sound of music.  A tractor pulling a wagon with a 20 person brass band on board.  Walking behind this wagon was a group of children around your age.

The kids had long candles and lit paper bags at the base of the pile and then a farmer carrying a bucket full of water showed up.  But is wasn't water. It was gas.  He started throwing buckets of gas of this small fire. No joke.

In 10 minutes the fire was so hot that we had to move back 20 metres.  It was one of those evenings where we were glad that we decides to try something new.

Easter Eggs

Our hosts had graciously left us some chocolate eggs. 

The fresh eggs left for us, in the Dutch spice cabinet, were a bit of a surprise. I want to try them but I can't help preferring the ones we have in the fridge.